The Tyrant's Stolen Bride-Chapter 144: Fallen

A clanging crash echoed as the food tray smashed against the wall, sending its contents flying.

"I don’t want this garbage!" Ferro huffed, shouting at the guard who had brought his lunch.

"Ugh!" he groaned, bending over in pain.

"This ungrateful prisoner... always causing trouble!" the guard cursed, swinging his fists and feet at the elderly man in front of him.

"Drag him! Lock him in isolation!" he barked at the two guards nearby.

Ferro was hauled out despite his protests.

Once inside, he was left completely alone in the small, bare room.

A toilet sat in the corner, with no bedding and nothing to sit on. The only window was a small ventilation hole, a fan spinning slowly above it.

"Bum! Bum! Bum!"

The banging on the door didn’t stop until he was exhausted, slumping to the floor, gasping for breath.

"Water..." he croaked, his voice weak.

"Wa... ter..." his words choked between coughs.

A small hatch was opened, and a cup of water was slid through it. The hatch was shut again.

Ferro immediately grabbed and drank greedily, every swallow desperate. When he was done, he leaned back against the wall again.

The next day, the door to the isolation cell was opened. He was transferred back to his original cell.

"Guard... where is my son? I want to see my son... I want to go home. My wife is waiting for me."

The guards stood there, unmoved, ignoring him completely.

"I have a lot of money. I’ll pay you to let me go," he called again, his voice pitiful and hoarse.

Still, no one responded.

Day after day passed for Ferro, each one dark, filthy, and lonely. The luxury life he once knew was gone.

Then, after weeks of silence, word came that he had a visitor.

"Who is it?" Ferro asked the guard who came to escort him. His hands and feet were shackled before he was led through the iron door.

"An old woman," the guard replied casually.

"Veyona... it must be Veyona..." Ferro murmured, his chest tightening, a flicker of nervous hope lighting his eyes.

"She must be here to bail me out..." he said, clinging to the thought, but the guard’s face remained unreadable.

Metal scraped against the floor as Ferro was marched down the corridor.

They stopped at a door. Another guard opened it and he was pushed inside.

The room was small and still, the harsh light pressing down on the space.

He saw a figure seated on the other side of the table.

She was not Veyona.

He moved toward the chair and sat down slowly, his gaze fixed on her face.

"Who are you?" he asked.

A small smile tugged at her lips. She parted them and greeted him.

"Hello... Edward. It’s sad you don’t remember me."

His eyes widened. Edward—his real name.

The name he hadn’t used in decades, the name that only reminded him of the days when he was still clawing his way toward power and wealth.

"Who are you?" he asked again, shivering, anger flickering as he failed to place her face.

She laughed softly, low and cruel, the sound slicing through the air.

"How funny that you’ve forgotten me," she said, calmly.

"Then again, you were always greedy, always obsessed with ruining my husband. I suppose the wife of the man you destroyed was too insignificant for you to notice."

Ferro glared at her, forcing himself to look unfazed. But no words came. Inside, his chest pounded, panic clawing at him, teeth grinding silently.

Her menacing aura subdued him more than he’d expected.

"I’ll get straight to the point. Listen carefully—"

She stood and walked toward him, leaning in until their faces were inches apart.

"I knew you were the one pulling the strings. Kiera was just a tool. I’ll make you pay for what you did to Harold."

"Harold?" His voice trembled. The name exploded in his mind, sending him rattling in his chair.

"Y-you were... his second wife?"

Agnes straightened, a wicked smile curling her lips.

"Now, now... so you remember who I am?"

She chuckled softly before shooting Ferro a sharp look.

"Your hatred for Harold ran deep... though really, it was the entire Hale family you despised."

"It’s not my fault! They threw me out! They abandoned me at the orphanage!" Ferro shouted.

A sharp slap cracked across his face as he tried to shift the blame onto the Hales.

Agnes’ hand froze midair. Slowly, she pulled out a handkerchief and wiped it, as if his face had dirtied her hand.

"Of course... it was their mistake to begin with," she said, circling him slowly, her eyes never leaving his.

"Dragging you from your abusive father... raising you as if you were their own child... yet, day after day, you festered with jealousy toward Harold, the rightful heir. You wanted to be him, to inherit what he had."

Her fingers trailed along the edge of the table as she leaned in.

"You were barely fifteen, yet already wicked. You attempted to take his life. That was when Hale decided to dismiss you—sending you to the orphanage without holding you accountable. And that... you call not your fault?"

"Impossible...!" Ferro stammered, trembling. "You... you’re an outsider. How do you know all that old story?"

Agnes caught a laugh. "Why should I tell you how I know all of that?"

She paused, drawing in a slow, steady breath. Her time was up—she had to leave.

Agnes walked to the door, her hand clasping the doorknob as she turned her head to look at him.

"I’ll make sure you rot here... long before you ever reach hell," she said calmly, her voice sealing the fate she had prepared for him—a sentence that would stretch on until the day he died behind bars.

"Goodbye, Edward."

"Just you wait, you bitch... my people will come for you—"

Agnes closed the door, ignoring the shouts and curses that echoed behind her.

Two security guards hurried to her side, steadying her as she walked.

"Are you okay, Madam?" one asked, his voice tight with concern.

Her health was fragile, yet she still pushed herself, projecting strength.

"I’m fine," she replied with a small smile.

Her demeanor softened now that it was over, the weight she had carried giving way to quiet satisfaction.

They guided her down the dim corridor until they reached the door. A quiet warmth spread through her as she saw Martin and Cray standing side by side, waiting for her.

After that day, Volkhan’s dark empire crumbled, and every last piece of their wealth and assets was seized. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Agnes had no desire to reclaim what Ferro had taken from Harold. Instead, she donated everything to charity, ensuring it would benefit those in need.